a&o Hostels Releases 2025 Half-Year Figures with Rise in International Guests

a&o, Europe’s largest private hostel chain, logged 3.1M overnight stays and 1.4M guests in H1 2025, with more visitors from the UK and US. Occupancy hit 73%, with shorter, later bookings. The chain forecasts 6M overnight stays for 2025.

 

Tuesday, August 12, 2025: Europe’s largest privately owned hostel chain, a&o, recorded 3.1 million overnight stays and a total of 1.4 million guests in the first half of 2025, with a room occupancy of 73% (down from 74.8% H1 2024) and a total revenue of 116 million euros (up from 110 million in H1 2024). 

 

Speaking on the first six months of the year, a&o Founder and CEO Oliver Winter said: “We are clearly feeling the reluctance of some guests when it comes to room prices in the first half of the year, however room occupancy remains stable, with a slight decline in rates. Overall, we are very positive. 

 

“2025 has been a year for growth as a company and our expansion is continuing to father pace and momentum. It’s a really exciting period for us and further international openings are in the pipeline”, he added. 

 

a&o currently has 43 properties in 30 cities across ten European countries, with the latest additions being a&o Hostel Firenze Campo di Marte, which opened in February this year, and a&o Hostel Milano Ca Granda in Italy.  

 

The highest room occupancy rate of just under 80 percent was achieved in the months of April to June. The most popular properties in Germany were a&o Berlin Mitte, a&o Hamburg City and a&o Berlin Hauptbahnhof, while internationally the most popular were a&o Prague Rhea, a&o Vienna Hauptbahnhof and a&o Venice Mestre. 

 

Further half-year figures at a glance: 

•   Top 3 source markets for guests: Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom
•   53.9% of a&o guests were domestic (2024: 56.8%)
•   46.1% of a&o guests were international (2024: 43.2%)
•   Proportion of guests from the UK: 4.6% (2024: 4.1%), USA: 4.3% (2024: 3.4%)
•   250,000 calls to the service centre, 180,000 AI messages
•   Summer occupancy rate of up to 90% expected

 

Previous records in the company’s history were set in the same period last year, thanks in part to EURO 2024 and concerts by Taylor Swift and Coldplay. “Event travel is becoming increasingly important, but we also need to be attractive in everyday life, away from such public spectacles’, said Winter.  

 

“That’s why we offer beds from €12 a night and have launched a 20% family discount in the summer. We are also seeing strong growth in demand via our member rates in the a&o Club – with almost 300,000 members now. We are the European brand for the price conscious traveller and that won’t change”, he added. 

 

AI in use, shorter stays, more spontaneous bookings    

The company is making several resource saving investments in renewable energies, AI-supported systems for demand planning in F&B, self-check-in or mobile keys, which helps them to keep prices low and avoid unnecessary increases for customers. Families, school classes and groups continue to be a&o’s core clientele: 

 

“People have less money in their wallets and we are also noticing a change in guest behaviour”, explains Winter, who founded a&o 25 years ago. “A weekend trip often only lasts one night. Instead of arriving on Friday, many guests now arrive on Saturday”, he added. Overall, the company is forecasting six million overnight stays for the entire year. 

 

Wish for the 25th anniversary: ‘A hotel in every tourist metropolis’ 

In the second half of 2024 alone, a&o added three new locations to the portfolio including Brighton, Antwerp and Brussels. a&o Firenze Campo di Marte opened in February 2025 and Winter has suggested more are on the way: “at least two more properties will open their doors in 2025 and the number of beds we can provide across Europe will far exceed 30,000.” 

 

Speaking on his goal for the coming years, following a&o’s 25th anniversary in 2025, Winter said: “I would like to have a property operating in every tourist metropolis in Europe and perhaps even beyond.”  

 

About a&o Hostels

  

Founded in 2000 by Oliver Winter, a&o currently has 43 properties in 30 cities across ten European countries with approximately 29,000 beds. A further two properties are set to open in the near future. The a&o guest mix is diverse, welcoming backpackers, solo travellers, families, school groups, and associations. The number of business travellers and senior guests is also increasing. In 2024, a&o achieved a record company performance, surpassing the record set in the previous year. Demonstrating strong year-on- year-growth, a&o recorded 6.2 million overnight stays (2023: 6.1 million), 2.8 million guests (2023: 2.7 million), and £192.7 million in revenue (2023: £179.9 million). As part of its sustainability strategy, a&o aims to further reduce CO₂e emissions per overnight stay. 

  

For more information, visit www.aohostels.com or find an overview of all a&o locations at www.aohostels.com/en/all-locations.